1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a steering shaft support structure suitably applicable to vehicles such as all terrain vehicles (ATV).
2. Description of Background Art
The conventional vehicles of this type are configured such that a steering shaft is rotatably supported by an upper portion of a body frame via a bearing and a bushing and an EPS (Electric Power Steering) unit is supported by a lower portion of the body frame. The lower end of the steering shaft is connected to the input shaft of the EPS unit via an adjustable joint (see e.g. Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2004-231011 (paragraph [0031], FIG. 4).
However, since this configuration has only one adjustable joint, if a load is applied to the handlebars due to some causes, the steering shaft is inclined with respect to a point of connection with the body frame. Consequently, the connection point (swing point) of the adjustable joint shifts. This causes both forces of push and pull to be applied to the input shaft of the EPS unit. Since the EPS unit includes delicate parts such as a sensor unit, for example, it is desirable to reduce both the forces of push and pull applied to the EPS unit as much as possible.